Personal Learning Network - Morrill
Personal Learning Goals The bullets below represent just a few of the personal learning goals I have set out for myself so far. As these activities continue, I fully expect more to be added and the ones below to be adapted as needed. * First and foremost to complete this certification program successfully in order to become a teacher. This one is probably self-evident, but I obviously wish to successfully complete this program so that I can become a teacher. Being a teacher is this idea I’ve had floating around in the back of my head for a while, but only recently did I decide to act upon it. * Help students become successful members of the 21st century. This is a pet project of mine, even before starting these units which focused on the idea of a 21st century classroom specifically I had the idea that classes and the way they were taught needed to be adapted. In school, the curriculum hardly ever felt relevant to me and so I very rarely paid much attention to what was being taught. It’s my hope that I can use some of the ideas of the 21st century classroom to make the lessons more relevant to the students and thus more engaging to them. * On a professional level, I’m hoping that teaching overseas at international schools will help expand my horizons as a teacher for when I teach in the States in the future. The plan my wife and I have now is to teach for a number of years overseas as international schools throughout the world. I’m hoping by experiencing the various cultures I’ll be able to bring some insights from them back to the classrooms in the United States when we eventually return here to teach. * Build up an international network of fellow teachers to share resources. By working at various international schools, I will attempt to build a network of international teachers through which we can utilize the latest technologies to help share ideas with one another about what is, or what is not, working for our students. Personal Learning Network As a pretty big fan of technology, specifically the internet, I’m excited by how many different options that exist of teachers to use in their Personal Learning Network. Below are just a few of the resources I’ve been able to come across so far: OpenEd A fantastic resource which includes videos, games, lesson plans, sample homework assignments, and much more. In addition to having these resources available for most subjects at almost any grade level, the site also allows you to upload and maintain your own lesson plans and assessments. From there you can also allow students access to the site so that they can find any assignments they have missed or to see what is coming up in class. DocsTeach I feel as though I may have brought this one up in a past assignment, but this website is excellent for History/Social Studies teachers. It gives students access to historical documents and gives them opportunities to explore these documents in a way which is engaging and entertaining. Additionally it even has ready-to-go activities for teachers if they need something to help their students get a better impression of the lesson material. The only caveat is that the site deals specifically with US History from around 1700’s up. Classroom2.0 This is billed as a social media website for teachers. Essentially its a one-stop shop for educators to get together and have a place to discuss teaching topics with other teachers. It has forums which are fairly active and has links to various recorded seminars which are free to view. Category:Personal Learning Networks Category:Thomas Morrill